


Kemistry

by Loony_lynny



Category: The Papergirl
Genre: All the time, Bisexual Character, Coming Out, Daddy Issues, Depression, Excessive Swearing, F/F, F/M, Gay Character, High School, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Racism, Recreational Drug Use, Soccer, Teen Romance, Underage Drinking, Wrestling, a hefty amount of sarcasm, damn i promise it's actually happy, dominic is so confused, excessive crop tops, homphobia, jk they just swear like teenagers, kele needs to get it together, mentions of being outed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 05:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26468293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loony_lynny/pseuds/Loony_lynny
Summary: Kele Greenwood is struggling to figure himself out in the span of his high school career. Dominic Malachi, the only out gay guy in the entire high school, becomes an unlikely friend. Coi Greenwood stands by her brother's side through it all, mostly to smack him upside the head whenever he does something stupid.Three years, an abundance of unlikely friends, and a hot tub don't even begin to describe the amount of insanity one group of people can face. Friendships are gained, some are lost, most stay the same. Secrets are revealed, feelings are expressed, and lots of tears are shed, both of sadness and laughter. As much as high school sucks (and it really, really does), there are always bright spots.
Relationships: Anna Malachi/Minerva Kohl, Kaniya Greenwood/Nahele Greenwood, Kele Greenwood/Dominic Malachi





	1. The Night We Met

**Author's Note:**

> Yay, I'm actually starting at the beginning (a very good place to start)! I decided that The Papergirl wasn't quite as developed as this storyline is, so I decided to do this one first. It's probably gonna take a while for me to complete as I'm in college and working and such.  
> \--  
> The first time Dom saw Kele was probably like any other day. The first time Dom /saw/ Kele was one he’d never forget.

Dom was standing in the goal, bored out of his mind while the midfielders were being lectured when it all started. As the midfielders broke, Dom readied himself for the play to come down the practice field. The side door opened and Dom paid it no attention, keeping his eyes trained on the ball. Whoever entered walked behind the goal and over to the assistant coach, talking quietly. 

“Hey, Dominic,” Coach Vale caught his attention. Stupidly, Dom looked away from the field. In all fairness, he had every intention of looking back as quickly as possible. This, unfortunately, did not happen because upon looking over his eyes fell on one Kele Greenwood. As a junior and the better of the two Varsity goalies, he had heard the name come up in conversations. There had been some talk about pulling a sophomore up to varsity on account of his frankly impeccable record and athleticism, and there he was in all his glory. He was wearing a wrestling singlet and basketball shorts, said singlet hanging down instead of on like a shirt. His tanned skin and high, strong cheekbones indicated Native American descent, and his toned chest and abs indicated his athletic abilities. Kele turned to look at Dom, following coach Vale’s gaze. Dom stared openly at Kele, entranced by what he saw. His sleek black hair was long enough to be pulled into a messy bun on the top of his head. Kele’s dark eyes met his and he noted hooded eyelids and thick, serious eyebrows. His nose was straight and sharp, leading to an exaggerated cupid’s bow and gorgeously full lips. His chin was cleft and chiseled, with a jawline Dom would die for. He would have looked further and continued undressing Kele with his eyes, but the play had reached the goal and a douchebag senior who recognized that Dom wasn’t paying attention kicked the ball anyway, aiming low. The ball hit its intended target, causing Dom to tear his eyes away from Kele in favor of dropping to his knees in pain. 

“Shit!” he yelled, throwing his gloves away to cup his balls. Great. Now he looked stupid in front of a cute boy. 

“Goddamn it, kid, pay attention,” Coach Nightly lectured from the sidelines. Dom immediately looked back over in coach Vale’s direction, seeing as it was his fault this happened in the first place. Kele looked concerned, wincing in secondhand pain. 

“What’s the matter, Dom?” the senior who kicked the ball taunted, “did my shot kill your little gay boner for the newbie?” There was no way for Kele not to have heard that. Dom stared resolutely at the opposite goal. 

“Fuck you, man.” He gritted out. “At least I can get it up.” As one of the only openly gay kids in school, news traveled fast to him. People assumed he wanted in on the latest gossip and boy talk. They were right. In reaction to his comment, Brady immediately started coming at him which, in retrospect, Dom should have seen coming. To his surprise, it was Kele who stepped in front of him. 

“Uh, hey.” He stood tall, acting as a barrier between them. “Take a second to remember that this is your best goalie. From what I’ve seen of your fieldwork, you don’t want to lose him.” Dom covered a laugh with a cough at Kele’s subtle insult. Kele’s words seemed to make their way through Brady’s thick skull because all he did was breathe angrily out of his nose and shove Kele before stalking back to midfield. 

“Thanks,” Dom said quietly, still kneeling on the ground. Kele shrugged and offered a hand, pulling Dom to his feet. 

“I’m Kele.”

“I know.”

“Oh. You’re Dominic, right?” Kele knew who this boy was, but he didn’t want to seem like a stalker, so he asked anyway. 

“Yeah, Dominic Malachi. You can just call me Dom.” He flashed a wide, genuine smile. “I’m the goalie and your resident homo.” He threw in some jazz hands as he told Kele exactly what he knew would come out (haha) eventually. Kele smiled back and Dom relaxed. He was used to dudebros backing away in disgust when they found out he was gay. 

“Yeah, I’ve heard the story,” Kele’s eyes crinkled when he laughed.

“What--oh,” Dom’s confusion was dashed when he remembered the story everyone knew. It had gone around the school every time a new freshman asked who he was. 

“Wouldn’t you have been there?” He asked suddenly, “You would have been a freshman when it happened.” Kele shrugged noncommittally.

“I think I’d remember witnessing that,” he grinned crookedly, “We must have had different lunch hours.” His smile made Dominic want to melt right into the ground. 

“Yeah, that was… not a good day,” Dom chuckled. 

“Yeah, for her at least,” Kele agreed, “It probably felt great to finally get that off of your chest.” Speaking of chests, Kele crossed his arms over his. Dom noted that despite knowing he was gay, Kele wasn’t put off enough to pull his singlet back up or put on the shift that was hanging from his arm. In fact, it seemed as though he was completely indifferent about Dom’s sexuality.

“I- do you know what happened?” Dom tilted his head, confused at Kele’s comment. He shuddered at the memory, a year old and still fresh. Kele frowned at this.

“What do you mean? Everyone knows what happened, you came out and broke up with your girlfriend.” Kele recounted what he’d heard. Is that what had gone around? How   
could the truth have gotten twisted?

“No, that’s- is that what everyone thinks happened?” Dom was concerned that every incoming freshman was hearing the wrong story. Kele nodded slowly, eyebrows drawn together.

“Kele, I didn’t come out.” Dom put a tentative hand on Kele’s upper arm. 

“What do you mean?”

“Jenny- I mean, my ex, Jennifer- outed me,” Dom said quietly, “I came out to her privately because I didn’t want to be a dick about it. Like, profound apology and all. I trusted her with that, and she turned right around and announced it to the entire school.”

“Oh my god, who does that?” Kele looked appalled. Dom had wondered the same thing in the moment, amid the constant stream of ‘oh, shit’ that was going through his head.

“Really angry teenage girls who just found out their boyfriend is gay, I guess,” he shrugged, “it was… a shitshow.” He couldn’t think of any better way to describe the following chunk of his life. 

“Did people say shit?” he asked, brow furrowed. His dark eyes flashed with concern, and Dom found himself smiling gently. 

“Sure, for a few weeks,” he shrugged, “I tried not to let it bother me and eventually people just… stopped.” Kele shook his head in amazement.

“Damn. I had no idea,” Kele admitted. Something akin to shame flew across his face. This confused Dom. What could Kele possibly be ashamed of in that sense? He’d done nothing against Dom. Although, he didn’t do anything to stop it, not that he needed to. 

“It’s o- well,” Dom corrected himself, “it isn’t okay, but it didn’t do me any harm.”

“Words leave the least visible yet longest-lasting scars,” Kele said solemnly, as though reading from a page. Dom raised his eyebrows at the heartfelt prose. Seeing Dom’s expression, Kele’s already-dark complexion deepened. 

“Just, um, something my mom used to say,” he explained awkwardly, “that’s Kaniya ‘Silvertongue’ Greenwood for you.” Dom grinned, thinking offhandedly that Kele had inherited his mother’s gift. 

“It’s true,” Dom agreed, though it pained him to see his new teammate wince, “I mean, it’s not like I think about it all the time, but some things stick around.” For some reason, honesty poured out of him. For someone so intimidating, Kele was surprisingly easy to talk to. 

“Yeah, I get it,” Kele said quietly, and suddenly Dom realized that he was talking to one of the few non-white people in this school, one of the even-fewer Native American students. Of course, Kele got it; he’d faced similar difficulties. 

“Right,” he smacked himself internally, “of course you do. Sorry.” 

“Don’t be. Can’t be helped.” Kele grinned, albeit a little sadly. Dom frowned, in opposition to the statement. 

“Sure it can,” he argued, “we just need to begin the dismantling of institutionalized, systemic racism and the returning of land to the native tribes who owned it first.” Kele fixed him with an indiscernible look that faded as soon as he noticed it. 

“What?” he asked defensively. 

“Nothing,” Kele shook his head, “Hey, do you want to hang out after practice?” Dominic had never agreed to something so quickly in his life. Despite everyone around him, joking and laughing and talking to him and with him, he felt so disconnected from his friends. So much that it sometimes felt like they weren’t really his friends at all. But here was Kele, this tall, dark, and handsome Native sophomore who had generally defied all odds and become undeniably the most wanted person in their high school, striking up a conversation with him despite knowing that Dominic was gay and probably attracted to him. And asking him to hang out? Outside of a school or sports event? Dom couldn’t even remember the last time someone wanted to genuinely get to know him outside of what everyone already knew. 

“Uh, yeah, that sounds… that sounds really nice,” he felt his shoulders drop and wondered why he’d been so tense in the first place, “I work at a coffee shop, do you wanna go there?”

“You gonna make me free coffee if we do?” Kele asked, clearly joking. There he went with that adorable crooked smile again. God, Dom hoped he wasn’t blushing. 

“Yeah,” he answered honestly. 

“Oh. I was just kidding,” Kele backtracked. 

“Nah, it’s okay. I was going to anyway, even if you hadn’t asked,” he admitted. It was something he did often, though he shouldn’t. But now, he had a reason to sneak a few extra drinks -- impressing a cute boy with coffee-making skills. 

“Where is it? Can you send the address?” Kele asked, pulling his phone from the pocket of his shorts, “Do you have my number?” A little thrill shot up Dom’s spine, sparks flying from his hair. 

“I don’t think so…” he took the offered phone and put his contact in, “okay, I’ll send you the address.” He grinned up at Kele, still boggled by the fact that anyone younger than him could be so much taller than him. 

“Cool. See you at 5:30?” Kele suggested, his phone still cradled in both hands.

“Y-yeah sounds good.” Dom found himself stumbling over his words for the first time in a while, his brain finally catching up with the situation he’d gotten himself into.

“I should be getting back…” Kele moved slowly toward the door, looking disappointed to be leaving. Dom lifted a hand and waved him off. 

“Is he a fag too?” Brady sneered from behind him. Dom was used to this kind of treatment from Brady, but to see it turned on someone who had done nothing to deserve it pissed him off. 

“You wish he was,” he snapped, “maybe then it’d be easier for you to get a girlfriend.” He heard a laugh from the door and turned to see Kele walking back in.

“Sorry, forgot my paperwork,” he said, “nice one.” Dom blinked in confusion as Kele left again with a wink in his direction and a middle finger in Brady’s. 

“I like him,” Danny said offhandedly. In Dom’s experience, Danny was pretty chill with, well, everything. Dom nodded absently, looking at the door Kele had walked out of. He tried not to think about the wink.


	2. The Star Wars Cure-All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone knows you can never go wrong with coffee. But a mildly awkward conversation held in a cafe can only be saved by one thing--Star Wars. God, the amount of awkward tension in this chapter almost killed me, and my friend literally facepalmed in secondhand embarrassment. I think I nailed high school social interactions!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She's a little longer than the first one, but drop a like and comment pleeeeease.   
> \--  
> “How do you usually take your coffee?” he asked as he handed the mug to Kele. 
> 
> “I, uh, one cream, one sugar,” he admitted, blushing. Dom laughed and picked a comfy chair by the fireplace that never ran because they were, after all, in Arizona.  
> -  
> “Have you ever not been attractive?” he blurted, almost offended that even at 12 years old, Kele had been unfairly handsome. 
> 
> “You think I’m attractive?” Kele asked, holding himself up on his elbows to see Dom’s face. His eyes were honest and unsure and it almost made Dom laugh that Kele was even asking that question. Small wisps of hair were falling loose from Kele’s updo and Dom fought his urge to tuck them back into place. God, what a stupid question.

At 5:35, Dominic was already behind the counter at the shop, making his drink and hoping Kele was just late. He went straight for comfort food, pulling out honey and cinnamon to make a miel. It had been his mom’s favored drink when he was growing up and he had constantly followed her around the kitchen, hanging from her leg. Whenever he’d asked for whatever she was drinking, she’d smile and make him his own without any espresso (he was hyper enough as it was). The bell dinged softly and Dom looked up to see   
Kele ducking in. He broke out into that crooked smile when he saw Dom, who narrowly avoided spilling almond milk on the counter.

“Sorry I’m late,” Kele apologized quietly, “I had to take my sister home.” Dom nodded in acceptance, glad that Kele had shown up at all. 

“What do you want?” he asked, pressing the grounds. Kele stared at the menu helplessly. It was a decently sized selection, so Dom gave him a few minutes. There was indie music playing through the speakers, much to Dom’s chagrin. He’d tried to convince his manager to play something else for a change, but his request was dismissed. 

“What are you having?” Kele asked after a long pause. 

“A miel,” he answered simply, measuring honey into the mug. He set the honey down and looked up at Kele. 

“Honey.” Kele translated the name matter-of-factly. Dominic definitely didn’t wish he was calling him a pet name. 

“I’ll try that, then,” he decided. Dom nodded, secretly pleased that Kele would ask for, essentially, “whatever he’s having”. 

“It’s my favorite,” he admitted softly, tapping old grounds out of the press and putting new ones in. Kele leaned on the counter, grinning. 

“Well, then. It must be good.” He sorted through a box of sugar and sweeteners. Dom was certain he was blushing but hoped Kele would be too kind to say anything about it. He pulled out a second mug and measured honey.

“I usually put cayenne in mine, you want me to leave that out of yours?” he asked, pulling the spice out of a cabinet. It was used in a few other drinks, but not usually the miel unless someone specifically asked for it.

“Nah, I can take the heat,” he laughed softly at his own joke, “I want exactly what you get.” There he went again with the “whatever you want” thing. Dom smiled at his stubborn attitude, knowing that Kele would never back down from a challenge. He added a small amount to each cup and poured in the espresso, mixing the honey in. 

“What kind of milk do you want?” Dom looked up, shaking hair out of his eyes. Kele’s eyes widened.

“I have more than one option?” he asked, making Dom laugh.

“Yeah, of course,” he explained, “a lot of people have dairy intolerance so we keep almond milk and soy milk too.” Kele looked out of his depth.

“Normal milk is fine,” he said, “wait, I said whatever you had, so if you’re using something different then give me that.” There it was again. Damn, Kele was going to be the end of him.

“Sure,” Dom pulled the almond milk out again, “I use almond milk.” He steamed his own first and then Kele’s and poured them in, deciding last minute to make a heart on top of the foam. 

“How do you usually take your coffee?” he asked as he handed the mug to Kele. 

“I, uh, one cream, one sugar,” he admitted, blushing. Dom laughed and picked a comfy chair by the fireplace that never ran because they were, after all, in Arizona. Kele sat down across from him. 

“Why are you doing this, really?” Dom asked suddenly. He knew he shouldn’t have, but he needed some clarity as to how this had come about. Kele blinked, surprised, and it took him a while to articulate the answer. There was a pause in which he stared at Dominic, head tilted to the side, studying him.

“I have never heard a single negative thing about you,” was the first thing out of Kele’s mouth. It was a strange starter, but intriguing. 

“Everything I hear is that you’re nice, that you’re friendly, that you’re gay. That last one always bothered me,” Dominic tensed, “because they used it to define everything about you. You’re more than your sexuality.” Dominic relaxed as Kele finished his thought and took a thoughtful sip of his drink. 

“This is really good,” he commented before continuing, “anyway, I walked into that gym and you were right there, and then I distracted you and Brady hit you with a ball. Sorry.” He grinned halfheartedly. Dom wondered if he was avoiding the truth, which was that Dom had been distracted by his looks rather than just his general presence. 

“And then you called him out for not being able to get it up,” Kele smiled fondly at the memory, “how did you even know that?” He asked the question with no ulterior implications. It was just a question, not a jab about his sexuality. 

“I kid you not, some random girl came up to me in study hall and told me. No reason at all, just… thought I should know, I guess,” he shrugged, remembering his state of confusion at the moment, glad he could laugh about it now.

“Wow, that’s actually… hilarious,” Kele laughed and took another drink, “what a weird thing to tell someone you don’t know.” Dominic caught his eye at that statement. Was that why they were here? Did Kele need to confide something with Dom?

“And then you said something about shitty remarks and it kinda shocked me,” Kele sobered up, setting his mug on the coffee table, “It never occurred to me that people would do that. Which is stupid, because if people say shit about my skin color and the shape of my nose, why wouldn’t they say shit about you being openly gay.” Dom’s attention hooked onto something Kele said. 

“The shape of your nose?” he asked incredulously, eyebrows creased. Kele shrugged and nodded, absentmindedly tracing the tip of his index finger down the bridge of his nose. 

“Silly, right?” he smiled blankly, “why comment on something that a person can’t change?” Dom was taken aback. Not once had he ever heard a negative comment on Kele’s appearance. 

“The silly thing is that all they could find about you to nitpick was your nose,” Dom tucked his feet under him, getting comfortable, “there’s nothing wrong with your nose, by the way. It fits right in with your face. And your skin color? Really? What would anyone have to say about that, your skin is gorgeous.” He hoped he hadn’t gone too far but in his defense, it was only the truth. Kele raised his hand to his face again, but this time pulled on the lobe of his ear. A nervous tick, maybe. 

“Thanks,” he said quietly, “what I’m trying to say is that I realized way too late that you’re probably one of the only people in this school that can relate to me like that. And then you came for learned racism and I just- I don’t know, I wanted to know you. I want to be friends with people who know their shit. So, yeah, I’m doing this because I genuinely like you.” Dominic was probably staring. He didn’t care. 

“I feel bad for asking now,” he mumbled, ears burning. Kele smiled again, but there was warmth behind it.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Kele said gently, “but I think you were wary because all of your friends don’t really do things like this. And it doesn’t really seem like you’re very good friends.” Dominic looked at the ground. He knew Kele was right; a lot of people stopped hanging out with him outside of school because they didn’t want others to think that they were gay too. 

“Yeah,” he said softly, “They like me, but not that much. Not enough to hang out like this. Or, maybe, I’m too nice to get rid of completely so they just keep me there.” They sat there in silence for a long time. Dom tried to ignore the intensity with which Kele was holding his mug, but he was slightly worried it might break under his grip. Eventually, though, Kele sighed and put his drink down again. 

“Well, we started this off deep,” he stated the obvious, “do you like Star Wars?” Dom looked up to find Kele watching him earnestly, waiting for a reply. 

“Who doesn’t like Star Wars?” he answered slowly, hoping that was the answer Kele was looking for. It had been a while since he had the time to go through them again, but Dom did like the movies. 

“Do you wanna go to my house and watch them?” Kele asked. How they’d managed to go from talking about deep social issues to Star Wars Dom wasn’t sure, but he certainly wasn’t about to complain. Also, spending a whole afternoon and evening with Kele freaking Greenwood? Yes, please. 

“Sure, as long as you don’t mind my commentary on how attractive a young Harrison Ford was,” Dom joked and it broke the tension. 

“I might even join you,” Kele accepted. Dom followed him out, overthinking Kele’s comment. He drove behind Kele to his house and joined him inside, pulse racing for no reason. Someone flew down the stairs to greet Kele, all but tackling him. Kele was clearly used to this because after a few moments he had them hanging upside down. 

“Okay, okay!” she shouted, slapping Kele’s calf twice while trying to keep her shirt on properly. Kele laughed and dropped her on the ground. Dom was worried for a split second but the person rolled onto their back. Dom could see now that it was a girl, most likely Kele’s sister. She was very tall, though she looked quite a few years younger than him. When she stood he figured she was only about an inch shorter than him. She bore a striking resemblance to Kele, though she was far lankier. 

"Oh, hi. Who are you?" She asked from the floor, rolling over on her stomach to get a better look at him.

"Oh, this is Dominic," Kele swooped in to save him, "he's a goalie on the varsity team. Dom, this is my sister, Coi. She's in 8th grade." Coi narrowed her eyes and Kele seemed to tense up.

"Dominic? I think I've heard that name before…" Coi sat up, knees tucked under her. 

"Don't," Kele warned sharply and ushered Dom into the living room with a glare aimed at his sister and a hand on the small of Dom’s back. If the casual touch sent a little blood to his cheeks (and elsewhere), no one needed to know. They took opposite sides of the short couch and Kele yelled for Coi to turn off the lights as he popped in the DVD for The Phantom Menace. 

“You do them in this order?” Dom asked, hugging a pillow to get comfortable. Kele flopped back onto his side of the couch.

“Uh, yeah, this is the beginning?” Kele looked over in confusion. 

“But this didn’t come out until twenty-something years after the original trilogy!” Dom countered, gesticulating wildly at the screen. 

"Does that even matter?" Kele argued. "It comes first chronologically! Darth Vader is Luke's father, so his story has to come before his son's." Dom fell back against the arm of the couch, crossing his arms. He didn't have a rebuttal for this. His feet found their way to the middle of the sofa as they stared at each other, Kele fixing him with a superior look. 

“Ugh, fine,” he sulked as Kele smirked and pressed play. About halfway through the movie, Kele’s feet joined his in the middle of the sofa, bumping against Dom’s legs. He murmured an apology, dark eyes flickering to Dom, who shrugged and shifted further into the couch. He felt hot all over with Kele’s eyes on him and resisted the urge to move his feet away from Kele’s. 

As the credits rolled, Kele’s father stuck his head in. 

“Hey kiddo, we’re eating outside tonight,” he said, “are you two planning on joining us?” He nodded to Dom while casually inviting him to dinner. 

“You wanna stay?” Kele turned to him now, almost shyly, “We can watch the next one after dinner.” Dom looked between Kele and his dad, who was smiling gently in his direction. It was strange to have a father figure asking him anything, especially to stay for dinner, and equal parts happiness and melancholy flooded his systems. 

“Yeah,” he answered, eyes on Kele to gauge his response. His eyes lit up and his face broke into that stupidly gorgeous crooked smile. They both rolled off the couch and stretched out to follow Kele’s father out to the patio, where Coi and their younger brother were already seated. They were in the middle of a focused conversation, which ended when Coi said something that made her younger brother smack her in the arm while she laughed. 

“Settle, Han,” Kele’s dad warned gently. At the name (nickname?), Dom looked to Kele, hoping his facial expression was asking his unspoken question. 

“His name is Ahanu,” Kele leaned over to answer quietly, “Han is just a nickname.” Dom nodded, content that his little brother wasn’t named after a Star Wars character. Dinner was a casual affair. He was properly introduced to Ahanu and Mr. Greenwood, who insisted on being called Nahele. Dom noted that they were eating relatively late in the day, to which Kele shrugged.

“We were watching a movie and my mom isn’t even home yet. I guess Dad figured he’d cut his losses and just eat later.” Until now, it hadn’t registered in Dom’s mind that not everyone was here. He’d grown far too used to having only one parent. He was also not used to having more than one person at the dinner table with him. It was always him and either his mom or his sister, though rarely at the same time seeing as his mom worked all the time and Anna alternated between her dorm, work, school, and their house. As if on cue, the sliding door opened and Mrs. Greenwood stepped into the backyard, still fully dressed in uniform. Right. Sheriff Greenwood. Dominic knew that; they’d met before on much worse terms. She kissed her husband hello and rubbed the tops of her kids’ heads. It was kind of funny to watch all three of them just let it happen until she did the same to him. It had to have been reflex because she stopped short not a moment after she’d done it. She looked down at him in surprise. 

“Sorry about that,” she apologized slowly, “Dominic, right?” A hint of recognition flickered behind her eyes. He smiled, pleasantly surprised that she not only recognized him but remembered his name despite having last seen him five years ago.

“It’s okay,” he brushed it off, deciding against telling her that it felt nice anyway, “sorry I made you question how many kids you had.” She laughed and sat down. 

“Yeah, I knew you couldn’t have been one of mine,” she teased. He tilted his head and waited for her to elaborate.

“Curly hair,” she pointed out matter-of-factly. He looked around the table. He knew Kele’s hair was mostly straight, and the other two were about the same, wavy black hair falling loosely over their backs. Ahanu’s wasn’t too long, just brushing his shoulders, and Coi’s braids were going down her back where he couldn’t tell how long they were. Kele’s, of course, was still pulled into a bun like it always was. Nahele’s was in braids like Coi’s, black hair fading to silver at the roots. He self-consciously touched his own hair, fingers sliding through his mop of curls. 

“I like it,” Kele put in, running his own hand through Dom’s hair mindlessly. Dom clamped his mouth shut in surprise to avoid making an embarrassing noise. If any of them noticed, they didn’t voice it. He finished eating quietly, answering questions when asked and laughing at jokes. 

“Oh, and Coi?” Kaniya suddenly remembered something. Coi looked instantly guilty like she’d been waiting for this to come. 

“Yes?”

“You’re on dishes tonight,” Coi’s shoulders slumped, “You know you shouldn’t be telling off your teachers.” Dom raised his eyebrows across the table at her and she blushed.

“Ma, he was being a dick!” she argued valiantly to escape her punishment. 

“Coi, there’s no need to use that kind of language,” Kaniya said sternly, adding, “right as you may be,” under her breath. 

“I told you what he said; he deserved what I said!” she crossed her arms tightly, glaring at her half-filled plate. Dom was curious but didn’t want to ask. 

“I know it hurts when people say those things, baby, but that doesn’t make it right for you to turn around and do the same thing back.” 

“It wasn’t even directed at me! He was talking about gay people and saying…” she paused to glance at Dom, “not nice things. We were all uncomfortable. It’s a language class,   
not opinion class. Do you know how many of those authors were secretly gay?” Her righteous anger on the subject caused Dom to wonder who she was speaking out for. 

“Believe me, sweetheart, I do,” Nahele spoke up, “in fact, most of them didn’t even hide it, historians are just excessively heteronormative.”

“Right, I know you do, Mr. Classics Professor,” Coi dismissed him, annoyed, “it was a rhetorical question, dad. It’s not right for him to shove all of his opinions on us. He’s supposed to be teaching language!” In the silence following, Dom reached across the table for a fist bump, which she gladly returned. 

“As much as I probably shouldn’t encourage yelling at teachers,” Dom said, “I say hell yeah, stick it to the man.” Kaniya smiled, thankfully not angry at him for saying what he did. He didn’t feel the need to come out to them. It was likely that they already knew, either from hearing about it when it first happened or from understanding what he’d just said. Kele nudged his arm as he took his plate, stacking it on top of his own. Kele got up, kissing his mother’s cheek before dragging Dom back to the living room. 

“My mom likes you,” Kele grinned in approval as he bent over to slide the next movie in. He glanced back at Dom and just barely missed the longing expression he wiped off his face as Kele turned around. His whole family seemed to like Dom, and he had every intention of keeping it that way. A chance at real friendship didn’t come around so often for him, and he’d be damned if he was going to fuck it all up by falling for a straight guy.

“We’ve met before, actually, so I think part of her is remembering me as a sixth-grader,” he admitted. Ironic how he’d turned out, considering why they’d met in the first place. He determined that now wasn’t the time to talk about that incident. Personally, he didn’t think there was ever a good time to talk about that, especially not on the first day they hung out. 

“Aw, were you even smaller then?” Kele teased as he sat back on the couch, legs colliding with Dom’s again. Dom glared, now feeling self-conscious next to Kele. Dom was average height and he thought he had a decent build. All those years of sports training weren’t for nothing, after all. Kele was lucky enough to be a naturally big person, what with his stupid broad shoulders and his thick thighs built up from years of wrestling. God, he was never going to survive if he kept looking at Kele like that. 

“Not all of us can be 6’3,” he griped, poking Kele’s calf, “and yes, I was even smaller then. My mom’s coworkers used to call me squirt.” He was shocked that he let himself admit that, but it was worth it to hear Kele dissolve into laughter. 

“That’s cute, that’s really cute,” he sighed as his laughter subsided. As heat rushed to his face as a result of Kele calling him cute, Dom was glad the lights were off. It was dangerous, he knew, casually flirting and getting to know someone who was, to his knowledge, heterosexual. Subtle hints were just that-hints and nothing more. How was he to judge whether or not Kele was trying to tell him he wasn’t straight through hints and shameless flirting? Did it matter to him that their legs were tangled together in the middle of the couch? Most of his other friends wouldn’t dare touch feet with a gay guy for fear they’d be pegged (haha sorry) as gay too. 

“So tell me,” Kele whispered 15 minutes in, “just how small does one have to be to be dubbed ‘squirt’?” He was even closer now, having turned around so his feet were hanging off the armrest. Dom sighed and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through five years of his mom’s Facebook to get to his sixth-grade year. His mom was big into updating the public on the whereabouts of her kids, so there were plenty of options to choose from. He picked one and turned his screen in Kele’s direction. He let out a drawn-out ‘awwwww’ and swiped to find more. To be fair, he was a pretty cute kid. 

“Okay, okay, you’ve had your laugh. Let’s see you in sixth grade,” he snatched the phone back, suddenly horrified that there might be a photo from the incident. Kele laughed, no more than a huff of air in Dom’s ear, and reached to pull out his phone. His head moved as he pulled it out of his back pocket and the front of his messy bun brushed across Dom’s thigh. He sat as still as possible and bit his lip until Kele’s head moved away. After a few moments of searching, or staring longingly, in Dom’s case, Kele flipped his phone around and grinned up at Dom, who was gaping unattractively at the photo. 

“Have you ever not been attractive?” he blurted, almost offended that even at 12 years old, Kele had been unfairly handsome. In the picture, Kele was smiling crookedly much like he still did, carrying an approximately 10-year-old Coi on his back. His hair was curling around his ears and there was some dirt on his face. In the background, Dom could make out a small Ahanu playing with his dad. 

“You think I’m attractive?” Kele asked, holding himself up on his elbows to see Dom’s face. His eyes were honest and unsure and it almost made Dom laugh that Kele was even asking that question. Small wisps of hair were falling loose from Kele’s updo and Dom fought his urge to tuck them back into place. God, what a stupid question.

“I mean, yeah,” Dom said, sitting up a little straighter. He bit his lip, hoping he wasn’t about to see the outside of Kele’s door for admitting that he thought Kele was hot. Kele stared at him for an uncomfortably long time before he ducked his head, showing Dom that the tips of his ears were red. He hoped it was real and not just light cast from the TV.

“I, uh,” Kele said quietly, not meeting Dom’s eyes anymore, “I think you’re attractive too.” Now it was Dom’s turn to stare, and he did just that. Did he just admit that? Out loud? What? An endless stream of questions flew through his head. He wondered randomly, if humans were able to read minds, what kind of sound that would make. 

“Thanks,” he said weakly, unsure of what else to say. Kele gave an embarrassed ‘mmhmm’ and they continued to watch the movie. As he rearranged himself on the couch, Dom’s hand landed on top of Kele’s. He froze but Kele made no action to move his hand. 

“You didn’t tell me you were watching Star Wars!” Coi came bounding into the room and pushed Kele toward Dom to steal his seat at the end of the couch. And just like that, the moment was gone, replaced by an even bigger panic because Kele was half-laying on top of him. He sat up quickly and settled himself in between Coi and Dominic. When he thought Dom wasn’t paying attention, he elbowed his sister in the arm. Oblivious to the consequences of her actions, she elbowed back in confusion. He tried not to think about his arm pressing against Dom’s for the rest of the movie but it didn’t really work. All he could focus on was the warmth radiating from where they were touching and the fact that he could feel the barest hint of tension in Dom’s arm. He hoped he wasn’t making Dom uncomfortable but there wasn’t much he could do-- this couch wasn’t really made for three people at a time. Kele shoved her off the couch as the credits rolled and told her to put the next one in. She stuck her tongue out grumpily, still not understanding what got him in such a bad mood. 

“Kele, it’s almost 10:30,” Kaniya stuck her head in, “You have to be up for school tomorrow. Coi, go to bed.” Coi grumbled but thought better than to argue, taking two steps at a time on the way to her bedroom. 

“You two can stay up,” she allowed, coming to rest behind the couch, “but if you can’t get yourselves up tomorrow morning, then don’t expect any more late-night movies in the future.” Kele grinned up at her slyly, starting the movie.

“I never have trouble getting myself up in the morning,” he said innocently. It took her a few moments, but she hit him over the head with the paperback she was carrying.

“Don’t be crass,” she scolded. Dom was having a field day trying not to think about what Kele had implied. Dom wondered if that was the reason Kele had said it, which, frankly,   
wasn’t fair. And he’d said it in front of his mother! Dominic was experiencing secondhand embarrassment like none other. 

“You’re insane,” he told Kele when Kaniya had disappeared into her bedroom for the night. Kele was still shaking with laughter, even as he rubbed his head where she’d hit him. 

“Nah, we’re comfortable talking about stuff like that,” he explained, “she was probably just embarrassed I said that while you were here. Not that you haven’t heard worse.” He was still in the middle of the couch, the outer side of his thigh now acting as Dom’s footrest. To avoid discomfort on either side, Dom sat up, leaning into the corner. He was getting tired, sitting there in the dark. The movie playing in the background certainly didn’t help him sleep but he started drifting off only twenty minutes in. He felt his body slide down the couch and land on Kele’s shoulder but he was too sleepy to do anything about it. Kele let it happen, not even twitching at the new weight on his shoulder. He looked down past the wild curls at Dom’s sleeping face. He looked even younger than he already did, reminiscent of the old pictures he had shown Kele earlier that evening. Kele smiled at the softness of his face, light freckles dotted along his cheekbones and nose, disappearing into his hair. He had long lashes that brushed his cheeks, one of which was squished against his shoulder. He had a button nose, Kele noticed, so different from his own sharp, straight one, and pouty lips that Kele would wager he inherited from his mother. With Dom’s constant weight on his side and the lights off, he, too, felt the pull of sleep. Uncomfortable going to sleep sitting up, he swung his legs up and leaned into Dom.


	3. Hope This Doesn't Awaken Anything In Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after... In which teenage boys are embarrassed about being teenage boys(if you know what I mean), Coi keeps her mouth shut like a nice person for once, and Kele has a revelation upon learning something he didn't know about Dominic. Kele is fucked. Absolutely fucked. Boys aren't supposed to be this pretty. Are they?  
> \--  
> “You got yourself into this one, honey,” she chuckled, “what was it you said last night about having no problem getting yourself up? We’ll see what Dominic thinks about that.” He felt his ears turn red and he glared harder. She raised her travel mug up in a mock salute and left for work, still laughing.  
> -  
> “How can you even judge who makes better pancakes if all you can taste is syrup?” he demanded, waving his spatula in her direction. Finally, someone who shared Kele’s sentiment! She looked up at them, fork in her mouth.  
> “‘S a secret,” she mumbled around her food.

Kele woke up to someone giggling above him. He hugged the pillow he was holding a little tighter and pushed his forehead into it, blocking out the natural light that flooded the room. Wait. Since when did he have an extra pillow? And why was it so warm? He groaned and waved a hand at whoever was in his bedroom. He had specific needs before he could look at any family members in the eye, if you catch his drift. When his ‘pillow’ shifted in his arms, his eyes shot open and he barely bit back a squeak. How had he forgotten that they’d fallen asleep on the couch last night, especially when it was so potentially embarrassing? Lucky for him, Dominic was still asleep. At some point in the night, Kele had pulled Dom into his arms and they’d stayed like that until now, with Dom cuddled against Kele’s chest, wrapped up in his arms. Every inch of Dom’s back was pressed against Kele. Okay, this was a problem. Kele looked up to see that it was his mother who was standing over them, laughing, and glared helplessly. 

“You got yourself into this one, honey,” she chuckled, “what was it you said last night about having no problem getting yourself up? We’ll see what Dominic thinks about that.” He felt his ears turn red and he glared harder. She raised her travel mug up in a mock salute and left for work, still laughing. He sighed and looked around for his phone, knowing it had to be pretty early if his mother was just now leaving for work. Just as he found it behind his knee, Dom hummed softly and turned around, soft curls brushing against Kele’s chin. One of his cheeks had a mark from being pressed against the cushions and his hair was lopsided. His slim arms slipped around Kele’s waist, limp hands coming to rest on the small of his back. Kele bit his lip when Dom hooked a knee over his calves, pulling their bodies together again. Oh my god, why was this happening? Kele was frozen, staring down at Dom’s sleeping face. 

“Shit,” he whispered to no one. He considered waking Dom but wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with the embarrassment that might follow. Then again, Dom would wake up eventually and he'd have to deal with it then. With nothing better to do, he wrapped his arms delicately around Dom and went back to sleep. He felt guilty as he slipped off to sleep. But he also felt something warm light in his chest when Dom sighed and snuggled deeper into his pecs. He let instinct take over and tightened his arms around Dom's smaller frame. 

When Dom awoke surrounded by warmth, he wondered where he was. It wasn't that his own bedroom was particularly cold in the morning, but it certainly wasn't this warm. Not only that, but he was also lying against something very, very comfortable. He pressed forward into it, tightening his arms. He opened his eyes slowly, disappointed to be leaving sleep behind him. All he could see was green. He tilted his head back in confusion and immediately panicked when he saw Kele’s sleeping face above him. He pulled his hips away from Kele’s, praying that he wasn’t awake. He would have separated himself completely were Kele’s arms not wrapped around him. Had the situation not been so fear-inducing, Dom might have laughed at the fact that even in his sleep Kele maintained his signature resting bitch face, eyebrows low over closed eyes. Up close, Dom marveled at how unmarked Kele’s skin was as compared to his own, which was dotted with freckles and scattered moles. His carved cheekbones were even sharper on inspection and his lips were chapped, not that Dom was looking (he was). Kele’s arms tightened around him suddenly and one hand moved to his face. 

When Kele woke the second time, he was confused again. He rolled his neck without opening his eyes and moved his hand to scrub at his face, to rub away the sleepiness. There was a minute squeak and his eyes flew open to see Dominic staring up at him, cheeks red and eyes wide. Kele stared back at him, probably sporting a similar expression. Dom floundered, mouth opening and closing. 

“I’m sorry,” he apologized breathlessly. Kele could see his terror and knew that Dom was probably scared shitless of what Kele’s response to the situation would be. Dom’s chest was tight and his lungs were full, pressing against his ribcage painfully. God, how stupid could he have been? Falling asleep on the couch with a guy he was undeniably attracted to? Yeah, real smart. To be fair, Kele had also fallen asleep on the couch rather than wake Dom up or go to his own bed. He also noted that, while he was snuggled against Kele, Kele had wrapped him up in his arms. There had been nothing to do until Kele woke up, which happened in the next few minutes. He wasn’t sure if he should apologize or not so he did anyway, just to be safe.

“For what?” came Kele’s response. His voice was lower than normal and rough from disuse. The bun on top of his head had come undone during the night, leaving his black hair to cascade down around his face. It made him look younger, Dom thought. 

“I- sleeping with you?” He framed it as more of a question. “That sounds weird, but you know what I mean.” He could barely meet Kele’s gaze, but that didn’t stop him from catching the odd look in his eyes. 

“It’s not a big deal, we just fell asleep watching a movie,” Kele finally let go of Dom, pulling his arms away and sitting up a little bit. Dom sat up and brought his knees up to his chest. He knew Kele was smart; smart enough to know the complications of their situation. He didn’t want Kele to get burned by this.

“Yeah, and woke up cuddling. I just don’t want to see you hurt or judged for sleeping on the same couch as a gay guy,” he expressed his concerns to Kele, whose expression changed to one of annoyance, though not directed at him. As he pondered how to respond to Dom, he dragged his fingers through his hair and pulled it back up into a bun at the top of his head. 

“I appreciate that you worry for other people so much, about reputations and what could happen to them if they were accused of being gay or if they were outed, but honestly? I’ll be fine, Dom. Besides,” he paused, standing up, “you’re cute when you’re sleeping.” And with that, he walked into the kitchen, leaving Dominic more confused than before. He found the bathroom he’d been in the previous night to take a breather and work through his thoughts, among… other things.  
In the kitchen, Kele covered his mouth to muffle the crazed laugh that came from his mouth. Jesus, Dom must be losing his goddamn mind over the shameless flirting, not that Kele was faring much better. He was really tossing caution into the wind here. A look at the clock told him it was exactly 7:15 in the morning. Coi would be texting him soon to come to pick her up from the paper route, so he put on a pot of coffee and wandered back to the living room to convey this information to Dom, only to find that he was gone. He walked around the corner and was relieved to see that the bathroom door was closed. He was glad Dom hadn’t just taken the first opportunity to bolt. He caught himself thinking a little too hard about what Dom was doing in the bathroom and forced himself to go upstairs and get ready for school. His phone dinged as he was pulling a shirt over his head. He groaned in annoyance and took the stairs two at a time. 

“Hey, Dom,” he said when he saw him sitting on the couch again, fluffing his curls back into place, “I have to run out and pick up my sister. You’re welcome to stay for breakfast and borrow a shirt or something.” Dom looked up in confusion. 

“Where’s Coi at this early in the morning?” he asked. 

“She does a paper route,” Kele explained, grabbing his keys. Dom nodded, legs crossed delicately beneath him. Kele thought it was cute. He looked at Dom, head tilted in thought, before running back upstairs. Dom barely had time to wonder what he was doing before he came running back down the stairs. 

“Here,” he tossed something at Dom, who caught it reflexively, “Coi’s gonna be mad if I’m late. See you in a few? I’ll make breakfast when I get back.” He flashed Dom a wide, hopeful smile and hurried out the door. Dom stared at the door and then at what Kele had thrown him. It was a dark red shirt, softened by time. Dom switched it out for his own sleep-rumpled one and laughed at the size difference. It hung off his arms and around his chest and abdomen. Even the collar was loose on him. 

A few miles away, Coi was climbing into Kele’s car. She swung her messenger bag into the backseat, narrowly missing her brother’s head. 

“Whoah, chill out, little fish,” Kele dodged the headshot, “where’s the fire?” 

“You’re late,” she noted casually, whipping her phone from the pocket of her bomber jacket, “looks like you and Dom get along really well. Anything you want to tell me?” Kele clenched his jaw at her insinuation. There was no judgment in her voice, only genuine curiosity and a dash of sisterly teasing. 

“We didn’t mean to fall asleep.” He turned his blinker on. 

“Is he still there?”

“Yeah, I’m making breakfast when we get home. Gave him a shirt so he didn’t have to wear the same thing to school.” Kele instantly regretted telling her that, because she finally looked up from her phone, eyebrows raised.

“Oh, did you?” She crooned, elbowing his arm. He smacked her, face heating. 

“Shut up.”

“It’s cute. He’s cute.” Coi bumped her head against his shoulder. 

“Well, he’s too old for you and he’s gay,” Kele joked. Coi laughed and went back to her phone. Kele knocked her in the side of the head when they pulled into the driveway.

“I don’t know, okay? I don’t really know what’s going on in my brain right now, so please don’t say anything,” he made her look him directly in the eyes, dead serious, “not to anyone, yeah? Not even mom and dad and please, please don’t tease Dom about it. I feel like I’ve already confused him enough.” 

“Okay, I promise,” Coi nodded, “but you have to keep me in the loop.” Sometimes Kele hated how pushy his sister was but it was nice to have someone who wanted to be in his life. He scrubbed her head and got out of the car, closely followed by her indignant cries.

Dom was in the kitchen with their dad. More importantly, to Kele at least, he was wearing the shirt. Kele stopped short at the sight. Dominic Malachi was in his kitchen, helping his father make breakfast, wearing his shirt. His much too loose shirt. The deep red was a good color on him; his skin looked paler and his hair darker. The light coming through the bay window illuminated the background, making a halo of light around his head, the tips of his black curls fading to dayglow white. He looked beautiful. Wait, did Kele just think that?

"You good?" Coi asked from somewhere behind him. "You look like you just had a Moment™️." 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good," he said, not taking his eyes off of Dom, who turned around and flashed his signature wide smile.

"Morning, Coi. Hi Kele. Coffee?" He slid a cup in Kele's direction. "One cream, one sugar, right?" 

"Yeah, thanks," he marveled that Dom remembered such a minor detail about their conversation yesterday, “are you okay?” He noticed that Dom was blinking more than usual, looking pained as he did. 

“I’m fine, I just slept with contacts in,” Dom admitted sheepishly, rubbing his eyes, “I’m gonna have to wear my glasses today.” Kele’s brain shorted out and he racked his memory for even one instance he’d seen Dominic wear glasses.

"You wear glasses?" He asked. He was certain he would have remembered if Dom wore glasses, but nothing came to mind.

"Well, I wear contacts most of the time," Dom laughed softly, "I don't really like the way I look in glasses, so I don't wear them unless I have to." Ah. That made sense. 

"Explains why I've never seen you with them on," Kele reasoned, "though I doubt you look bad in them." If anything, he imagined Dominic would look even cuter in glasses. Dom made a noise of disagreement, back to Kele as he worked at the stovetop. 

"Whipped," Coi whispered on her way to the fridge. He just barely missed when he swatted at her. She hid her smile behind the door. Dom was none the wiser of the siblings' quarrel behind him until Coi pushed Kele into the counter next to the stove. Dom looked up in surprise just as Kele made to kick the back of Coi's knee. A wide, playful grin lit his face, early morning sun shining through the windows. Nahele caught his son's foot and made him hop around on the other, leaning back against the counter for support. 

“You two are ridiculous,” he spoke warmly, dropping Kele’s foot and rubbing his knuckles into Coi’s hair. 

“Come on,” she groaned, pulling out her hair ties and running her fingers through the braids, preparing to redo them, “Kele just did that, like, ten minutes ago.” She slid onto a stool at the bar, fingers weaving through her hair. 

“Are you making pancakes?” Coi’s question caught Kele’s attention. Dom looked over at his sister and nodded softly. 

“Yeah, how many do you want?” he flipped the two he had on the griddle expertly. Kele’s eyes followed the contours of his muscles and mapped the veins in his forearms. He was certainly fine-boned but in no way was he delicate. Judging from the pictures he’d seen the night before, he had been before and had worked to change that. 

“Two, please,” Coi held up two fingers, “Also, you should know that this is a competition now because Kele always makes pancakes.” 

“Oh, really?” Dominic raised his eyebrows in Kele’s direction. His lips had taken on a slight smirk in the spirit of competition and god, was that a dangerous look. In a different context, one might mistake the expression for the teasing flirting of a person fully prepared to engage in a serious make-out session. Kele was seriously regretting not having taken care of business this morning but he wasn’t about to let it show. 

“What, you think his are going to be superior to mine?” Kele growled teasingly, wrapping an arm around Dom’s neck in a loose headlock. He laughed and flipped the pancakes onto a plate and slid them over to Coi. Kele relaxed but kept an arm around Dom’s shoulders. Coi drenched her breakfast in syrup and took a bite, ignoring Dom’s horrified expression.

“How can you even judge who makes better pancakes if all you can taste is syrup?” he demanded, waving his spatula in her direction. Finally, someone who shared Kele’s sentiment! She looked up at them, fork in her mouth. She (wisely) chose to not comment on their position. They looked like a couple with Kele’s casual arm around Dom, who was crossing his arms. 

“‘S a secret,” she mumbled around her food. 

“Your pancakes are going to burn, Dom,” Kele noted, leaning closer to Dom’s ear. He spun around, right out of Kele’s loose hold, and flipped them. They were a little dark but not burnt. On the bar, his phone lit up. Coi leaned over to see who it was from, unsure of whose phone it was. 

“Who’s Anna?” she asked before cracking up when she caught a glimpse of the message. She laughed so hard she had to put her fork down to cover her mouth. 

“My sister, why?” Dom handed the spatula to Kele and grabbed his phone worriedly. He opened the message and rolled his eyes immediately, groaning in embarrassment. Kele busied himself with making pancakes to take his mind off that sound. 

“Turn on ur twink tracker, mamí wants to know where you are :),” Dom read out the text blandly, “my sister, everyone.” Kele laughed, glancing up at his friend. He said something quietly, eyebrows creased. 

“Oh my god, don’t even,” Coi laughed, “Kele, this man just tried to tell me he’s not a twink!” Dom spun around and snatched the spatula back indignantly. 

“I’m not!”

“Kele, please back me up,” Coi begged, smile wide and eyes pleading. 

“I mean-”

“Don’t you start too, Kele Greenwood,” Dom argued, arms crossed across his chest. His lips were pouty and it really took away from his argument, not that Kele was about to tell him that.

“I-sorry, Dom, but-” he paused to gesture vaguely at Dom, “you kind of are.”

“Come on!”

“Told you!”

“I’m sorry! You just are, it’s not your fault,” Kele tried to justify his honest answer. It was true, Dom couldn’t help the way he looked. He was short and thin and any muscle mass he gained was corded and not as noticeable and bulky as Kele’s. 

“Yeah, you’re just smol,” Coi said. Dom made a face at her word choice and looked down at himself. He looked smaller in the loose shirt borrowed from Kele, which hung off his frame. He looked up at Kele accusingly.

“It’s this shirt, you know,” he tugged on it, pulling the fabric away from his body, “makes me look smaller because it’s so big.” Coi nodded in agreement, mouth full and unable to speak.

“What, are you calling me fat?” Kele feigned offense. 

“No, I’m calling you buff, dumbass.” Dom smacked his bicep lightly before turning back to the pancakes. Coi wiggled her eyebrows from her stool. 

“Would you sit down? Your hovering is making me nervous,” Dom pushed Kele toward the bar to sit next to his sister. She didn’t say anything but the message was clear as she smugly watched him gaze at Dom while he made breakfast, hand curled around his untouched coffee. He was a vision, stepping lightly around the kitchen with his hair hanging low over his eyes and Kele’s shirt floating around his body.  
Objectively, Kele knew he liked girls. They were pretty and soft, but right now Dom looked like the softest creature on the planet. He couldn’t stop thinking about this morning, about how it felt to wake up with Dominic tucked close to him. It was comforting, which came as a pleasant surprise, and Dom had looked peaceful as he slept in Kele’s arms, face at rest and body completely relaxed. Honestly, he wouldn’t mind waking up like that for the rest of his life. Dom looked up, sliding a plate across the bar, and their eyes met. Kele’s heart squeezed, fighting the urge to look away. Dom’s eyes were light brown, almost golden in the sunlight. They glinted like the sun through whiskey, to quote a simile his dad loved to use. The whites of his eyes were tinged with red and Kele worried before remembering the contact situation.

“What?” Dom asked, fidgeting under Kele’s stare. 

“What?” he snapped out of his daydream, arm thunking on the countertop. 

“You were looking at me weird,” Dom shrugged self-consciously, “do I have something on my face?” Coi snickered almost inaudibly, face down so Dom couldn’t see her. 

“Your eyes are red,” Kele blurted in concern, “I mean, I think we have an extra case somewhere in the house if they’re bothering you and my mom has contact solution.” He stood up, ready to march off to find whatever Dom might need. 

“I’m tempted to wait until after we eat,” Dom fidgeted, “but they’re kind of uncomfortable. If you don’t mind-” he didn’t even have time to finish his sentence before Kele was grabbing his wrist and leading him into their parents’ bathroom. 

“I left the pancakes on!” Dom tugged his arm away to run back to them but Coi called, “I got it!” from the kitchen. Dom relaxed and turned back to where Kele was poking through his mother’s collection. He opened a drawer and let out a pleased noise, turning to show off an extra empty case. He went to the closet and it didn’t take long for him to locate the contact solution. Dom was already taking out one of his contacts when he turned back around. One-handed, he squirted the solution into the case and dropped it in before taking out the other one and letting out a sigh of relief. He rubbed his eyes and groaned shortly, wiping away discomfort. 

“Wow,” Dom mumbled, blinking rapidly, “well, now I can’t see.” Kele laughed and took the solution back. Dom sighed and put the caps on before following Kele back to the kitchen. 

“Well, Coi, looks like you’re finishing the rest of the pancakes,” Dom grinned apologetically and slid into the stool she’d been using. 

“Oh, I can do it,” Kele automatically offered, kicking Coi out of the kitchen, “don’t tell her I told you this but she kind of sucks at making pancakes.” He whispered loudly and laughed when Coi threw her balled-up napkin at him. Dominic had a nice laugh, sweet and steady like his voice. Hearing it came like a blow to the chest. How could anyone be so perfect? And, sure, maybe he was biased by his sudden infatuation, but he was seriously the most gorgeous thing Kele had ever seen. His smile was captivating, all dimples and white teeth, and it made his own mouth curve upward when he looked at it. He could look at Dom for hours on end and never grow tired. 

“I know I don’t have my contacts in right now, but you look like you’re having a moment,” Dom noted, repeating what Coi had mentioned earlier, “you good?” Kele nodded and turned to the stove again, flipping the pancakes robotically. Dom looked unconvinced and kept a worried eye on him even as Kele put a plate in front of him. 

“You’re gonna be late,” Coi said as she got up to put her plate in the wash. Kele looked at the clock and made a face. He hadn’t realized how late it was getting. He unplugged the griddle and rinsed the mixing bowl and left it in the sink before sliding around the other side of the bar to eat with Dom. 

“We’ve got time, right?” He grinned hopefully. They were both done eating in record time, setting their dirty plates on the counter and running frantically around the house together all their things. Coi watched, amused, from the doorway. Kele glared as he jogged toward her with his backpack slung over his shoulder, Dom right behind him. She smiled brightly at him and opened the door. Kele threw his bag in the back seat and then suddenly whipped around to find Dominic.

“Can you drive without your contacts in?” He asked, realization hitting him. Dom, who was standing by the open back door of his car, startled and turned to Kele. 

“Uh,” he turned back around and dug around in his practice bag, “not legally, but…aha!” He spun back to Kele and slid glasses onto his face. The frames were black and thicker on the top than around the sides. They were a decent size, not swamping his face or so small that they looked like grandma glasses. They were cute.

“Okay, good,” Kele forced out, flashing a hurried thumbs-up and sliding into the car. Coi side-eyed him, waiting for him to say something.

“Your face is red,” she noted. 

“Shut the fuck up.” He buried his face in his hands. “He’s so fucking...” Even though he wasn’t looking at her, he had a feeling Coi was looking very smug in the passenger seat. He took a deep breath through his nose, hands tight on the steering wheel, and let it out. 

“Is this you admitting that you like him?” Coi asked. He was surprised she even framed it as a question, as she usually stated her (usually correct, though he’d never tell her) assumptions. He shook his head as he backed out of the driveway.

“I don’t know,” he said again, “I’m just saying that he’s attractive. That’s all.” Coi looked unconvinced but didn’t bring it up again.


	4. The Adventures of Jessie Spair and He-Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introductions, introductions! Jessie, Scott, and two teachers who are almost definitely cooler than yours. Disclaimer: I have ADD but I'm a girl and it presents differently in guys so if you have any suggestions/corrections/ideas or whatever feel free to comment.   
> \--  
> "Kele. My dear He-Man. Mr. Muscled Man-candy.” Okay, that one kind of hurt. Jessie clasped his hand in hers. “Do you know the main reason people watch movies they’ve already seen?” She waited for an answer, lips pursed.  
> “Enlighten me.” Kele set his free hand on his hip.   
> “So they know they’re not missing anything when they fuck.” Jessie patted his hand and watched, satisfied, as his mouth dropped open in surprise.   
> -  
> “Got kicked out of class,” he answered honestly. She raised her eyebrows in disbelief-- Dom wasn’t exactly the type to get in trouble for anything, much less be kicked out of class.  
> “What in the hell for?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty short, but it was fun to write! I got a block near the end of this one and it took me a while to finish it, plus I was in the middle of finals (I'm done now, yay!)   
> Like and comment :)

Jessie caught him as soon as he came in the door to English, looping her arm through his and dragging him back to her desk in the corner. He went along with it just because it was a reprieve from the people who surrounded his own desk. She dropped her books onto the desk one-handed, ignoring the ones that tumbled over onto the floor. He raised his eyebrows at her as she turned to face him, pulling her arm away from his to put her hands on her hips. 

“You hung out with a gay person that wasn’t me,” she accused. Kele didn’t see the problem. 

“Yeah, so?”

“Is my place being threatened by that curly-headed twink?” She demanded, leaning against her desk. 

“Your place?”

“Yeah, yeah, my place as your gay best friend,” she waved him off, “keep up, He-Man. Anyway, am I being replaced?” He frowned at the nickname but figured it was pointless to complain. She would just find another, equally-fitting name. Based on past ones, this one was pretty good. He had to admire her creativity.

“Can’t you both be my friends?” He asked. “Is ‘gay best friend’ even PC anymore?” She huffed and fixed him with another glare as he avoided the question. 

“I don’t care about political correctness, I can use it because I am gay,” she said flippantly, “and that’s beside the point--is Dom gonna end up outranking me because you think he’s cute?” Kele blinked at the blatant assumption she’d just made, snapping at his brain to shut up when it reminded him that he did, in fact, think Dom was cute.

“What?” He held in his panic, straining to maintain a neutral confused expression. “Jessie, what are you talking about?” Her eyes bored, unblinking, into his. 

“He’s wearing your shirt, isn’t he?” She said. He clenched his teeth, glaring back. She smirked at his reaction and climbed over the desk to sit down, leaning over to grab her fallen books. 

“You know what,” he leaned down, “yes, Jessie, I do think that Dominic is conventionally attractive, in the same way that you find me conventionally attractive. And, yes, he is wearing my shirt, because we accidentally fell asleep watching Star Wars last night.” Jessie raised her eyebrows silently. She was trying to get a point across without spelling it out for him and he definitely didn’t know what she was going for.

“Kele. My dear He-Man. Mr. Muscled Man-candy.” Okay, that one kind of hurt. Jessie clasped his hand in hers. “Do you know the main reason people watch movies they’ve already seen?” She waited for an answer, lips pursed.

“Enlighten me.” Kele set his free hand on his hip. 

“So they know they’re not missing anything when they fuck.” Jessie patted his hand and watched, satisfied, as his mouth dropped open in surprise. 

“Miss Spair, what in the world are you talking about over there?” Ms. Kay, their young, first-year English teacher asked. Kele whipped around, looking flustered. 

“Oh, nothing,” Jessie sang sweetly, “don’t worry, I’ve already made my point.” Kele turned back to Jessie and glared at her. She released his hand and waved him away to his own desk. He held a silent conversation with her on his way, mostly through pointing and yelling with his eyebrows. 

“I’m just saying, it would be cute if he wasn’t going to replace me,” she said out loud in response. 

“You are irreplaceable, Jessie Spair” he hissed, “and it isn’t cute.”

“The shirt is cute on him.” She pointed out.

“Quit it!” His tops of his cheekbones were flushed. 

“What are you guys talking about?” Marcee interrupted, snapping her bubblegum. How he wished she had any sense of social boundaries. 

“Dom,” he answered distractedly.

“Malachi? He’s so cute!” She squealed. “But he’s kind of short.” Kele shot her a halfway glance in the middle of another silent argument with his best friend. 

“He’s average height,” he argued weakly, “also, he’s gay.” Part of him assumed she already knew this and was mentioning his attractiveness platonically but the other part wondered if it made a connection in her brain that being gay meant he wasn’t attracted to girls.

“Yeah, so?” She chewed her gum obnoxiously. “I could pull him.” 

“Please,” Ms. Kay jumped in, fed up with these three students eating up all of her class time, “Dr. Travis has a better chance of pulling Dominic than you do. Are we done here?” Kele bit back a grin. She was so his favorite teacher. 

Scott jumped on his back on the way down the stairs. At least he had the decency to warn him. His shouts echoed through the stairwell.

“Jesus, Scotty,” Kele grumbled as he pushed the door open with his hip, “what’s up?” Scott laughed and hopped down. 

“Dude, Physiology is so boring today,” he groaned animatedly, “you should skip.” he threw his books on the floor and flopped into their library couch. 

“I can’t, Scotty,” Kele groaned, leaning back into the other couch, stretching out with his feet up, “I have it 6th hour and I have to be here for 7th period.” 

“Fine, fine,” he relented, “hey, you should wear your hair down today.”

“Why?”

“I dunno, I just think it would look nice,” Scott shrugged as well as he could with his hands clasped behind his head. Kele went silent for a moment and decided, ‘whatever’. He pulled out the band that was holding his bun in place and let his hair tumble down past his shoulders. He was brushing it out with his fingers when Scott looked over again.

“Oh, you actually did it,” he commented absently, “I wish my hair would do that.” He sounded a little jealous.

“It probably would, you know,” Kele told him, “Your hair is about the same texture as mine.” Scott laughed but it lacked humor.

“Nah,” he shook his head, “I’d just get called gay.”

“I don’t.”

“Well, yeah, but you’re...you.” Scott eyed him. Kele didn’t think that was an insult, but he wasn’t sure it was really a compliment either. 

“I mean,” Scott quickly jumped to explain his comment, “you’re just super masculine and I don’t really think anyone would have the balls to call you gay for having long hair. Besides, it’s your culture.” This was true on both counts. 

“What, you need to be enough of a man to not look gay with long hair?” He asked, not expecting an answer. Scott was quiet for a few minutes while they worked on homework.

“Do you think it would look good?” He asked tentatively. Kele looked over at him and studied him. He had a pretty similar facial structure to his younger brother, Ahanu, whose hair was currently swooping past his ears. 

“Yeah, I think so,” Kele reasoned, “I could see it looking good at about shoulder-length. Maybe an undercut and wear it in a low bun.” 

“Huh.” He nodded. “Oh! Hey, is it true they’re moving you to varsity?” Now Scott turned on his side to look excitedly in Kele’s direction. Kele was glad none of his friends were the jealous type. 

“Yeah, I got the paperwork yesterday,” Kele grinned. Scott looked like an overly energetic puppy, nearly falling off the couch. 

“Yeah, and I heard you’re already hanging out with varsity guys.” Scott’s eyes were wide. “Are we gonna get replaced?” He referenced their small group of friends. 

“No!” Kele insisted. “Honestly, you and Jessie both think Dom is gonna replace you. What’s with that, anyway? Can’t I add another person to the group?” 

“Well, yeah,” Scott shrugged, “what’s the deal with Malachi, anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I hear he’s really nice, is it true?” Kele let out a sigh of relief when Scott didn’t go into the topic of Dom's sexuality.

“Yeah, he’s nice,” Kele agreed, “Oh! You know what I found out yesterday? Dom got outed by his ex--he didn’t come out and break up with her like we thought.” Scott’s eyes widened and he sat up completely. 

“No way, really?” He gasped. “Dude! What the fuck, who does that?”

“Right? That’s what I said!” Kele leaned back.

“Yeah, man, that’s messed up,” Scott’s eyebrows appeared to be permanently raised, “Even if I hated gay people--which I don’t-- I would never do that. It’s just plain heartless.” Kele nodded, glad to hear Scott affirm that he wasn’t homophobic. He knew this already, of course, because Jessie, their best friend, was indeed a lesbian and would personally smite him if she heard him say anything remotely homophobic. Speak of the devil, Dominic himself came wandering through the library, though he wasn’t carrying a book. Scott spotted him first and waved an excited hand at him.

“Malachi!” He whisper-shouted, flagging him down. “Hey!” Kele almost hid his face, not wanting to have to hold a conversation with Dominic Malachi while he was wearing those glasses. 

“Oh, hey!” Dom veered off-course to visit them. “Hi Kele. You’re Scott, right? JV defender?” Scott smiled brightly and nodded, happy to be recognized by an upperclassman. 

“Hey Dom,” Kele smiled weakly, shoulders hunched together, “I didn’t know you were in this study hall.” Dom laughed. 

“Yeah, no, I’m not,” he clarified, “I couldn’t stop shaking my leg in Lit and Mrs. Anderson made me leave. Apparently I’m a ‘distraction’.” Kele’s eyebrows shot up as Dom chuckled awkwardly, probably not as okay with that as he was playing at. 

“That’s kind of rude,” Scott assessed honestly. 

“It’s okay, I’m used to it.” Dom shrugged it off. Kele noticed his fingers fidgeting with the seams of his jeans even as he spoke. 

“Still,” Scott frowned. It almost made Kele feel bad for Scott even though the problem was Dom’s. He had that effect on people. 

“It happened all the time when I was in elementary school,” Dom explained, settling on the armrest of Kele’s couch, “I got sent to time out a lot because I couldn’t sit still.” 

“ADHD?” Scott guessed, not that it was very difficult to figure out. “Yo, that sucks, man. My little brother has that, he’s all over the place!” 

“Yeah,” Dom said, “I take Adderall, but it doesn’t stop everything. Case in point, I just got kicked out of class for shaking my leg.” 

“At least you’ve never been kicked out of class because you called the teacher a colonizer and argued against a video that made white people look like heroes,” Scott said, turning to stare directly into Kele’s soul. Dom looked at Kele, eyebrows raised. 

“I regret nothing.” Kele crossed his arms in defense. It really was an awful portrayal of historical events. ‘Oh, why sure, you can have our lands! We’ll just live in teeny tiny reserves with limited resources and rights and horrible living standards.’ 

“Dude, I’m not offended or anything,” Dom said, smiling, “It’s kinda funny.” Scott chuckled along with their new friend.

“That’s why they put me in goal,” Dom switched back to the topic of his ADHD, “because my brain moves faster, you know?” Kele considered what he’d seen of Dom’s goalie work and nodded. Dom was a good goalie. Some people were hesitant to place him in goal because of his height--most goalies were taller on average--but he’d done well in the position so far. 

“Yeah, you’re good,” Scott said, agreeable as always, “You’re, like, always on your toes and stuff, you never stop moving.”

“Malachi!” Dom whipped around at the new voice. “What are you doing out of class?” It was Ms. Pince, the librarian and study hall monitor. He grinned sheepishly, linking his hands behind his back. He was very innocent-looking. Must have been the big, sad eyes and overwhelming amount of freckles.

“Got kicked out of class,” he answered honestly. She raised her eyebrows in disbelief-- Dom wasn’t exactly the type to get in trouble for anything, much less be kicked out of class.

“What in the hell for?” She demanded. Kele grinned at her maternal protective instincts, knowing that she was considered the school mom and was known to take care of kids whose parents didn’t. Of course, Thea took very good care of him but Dom never minded having an extra parental figure. 

“Wouldn’t stop shaking my leg,” he admitted, eyes downcast. Ironically, his leg started shaking again as he stood there, tapping out a fast, steady rhythm. 

“Wouldn’t or couldn’t?” 

“Couldn’t,” Dom corrected softly. Kele frowned, noting the open vulnerability that hadn’t been there before. He’d read about ADHD for a research paper last year and knew that it was probably a tic that Dominic had developed to help him concentrate.

“Honey, are you taking your medication?”

“Yeah, of course I’m-- oh. I didn’t take any this morning.” Kele suddenly realized.

“Oh, shit,” he said, far too loudly for a library, especially a school one. Ms. Pince shot him a reprimanding glare but seemed to figure out what he was shouting about. 

“Oh, Kele,” she tutted. 

“It’s okay, it happens every once in a while anyway, I’m fine,” Dom assured her. Then he turned around to Kele and flashed a dimpled smile.

“I forgive you.” Kele didn’t miss how Dom’s gaze lingered on his face. He mumbled out a ‘thank you’ and turned back to his almost-finished Advanced Algebra homework. Dom, per the instruction of Ms. Pince, left to talk to Mr. Spalding about the incident. 

“Okay, he can join the group,” Scott decided after Dom had gone. Kele shot him a look, to which he shrugged and bounced back on the couch, picking up his phone instead of going back to his homework. 

“Hey, your girlfriend is close to his best friend Arwen, right?” Kele asked suddenly. Scott nodded, remembering having met Arwen at homecoming of freshman year. 

“Yeah, she’s super nice,” Scott confirmed. Birds of a feather, Kele supposed. Maybe they’d want to sit at their lunch table from now on. He proposed this to Scott, who agreed with a wide smile and told him to ask Dom. Kele hesitated, thumb hovering over the send button of the text he’d just typed out. Fuck it, he thought, and sent the text.


End file.
